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<title>the void sings (and we return its call) by astrifer0us</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23560918">the void sings (and we return its call)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrifer0us/pseuds/astrifer0us'>astrifer0us</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mechanisms (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Mentions of Blood, Multi, brief mention of mech-typical violence, nonbinary Lyf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:34:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,255</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23560918</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrifer0us/pseuds/astrifer0us</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>lyfrassir didn't always hate music</p><p>they won't always hate music</p><p>the mechanisms will make sure of that</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lyfrassir Edda/Marius von Raum, prisonmechs - vaguely</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Mechs Fic Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the void sings (and we return its call)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasekalemenow/gifts">pleasekalemenow</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>lyfrassir.</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>They don’t hate music. At least, didn’t use to. The Yggdrasil system produces some spectacularly good tunes, every once in a while, and they have been found to nod along to songs while writing their reports.</p><p>It’s just… the Mechanisms. Try spending your entire career with a bunch of idiots a couple cellblocks away from you, making some spectacularly <em>bad</em> music with anything they can get their hands on. Ivy? She can <em>whistle</em>. Really loudly. Not to mention her habit of hoarding mugs and cups and making her own personal musical scales. Raphaella? Notorious for her rendition of ‘99 bottles of whisky on the wall’.</p><p>And then there’s Marius. Marius, who, for all they know, has a violin shoved up his <em>ass</em> with the way he manages to procure one anytime they take the last one away. Marius, who knows the same tacky serenade in three different languages and five more dialects. Marius, who once spent an entire week harping (hah!) on them for <em>breaking a snare</em>.</p><p>So, yeah, they might be a little tired of music nowadays.</p><p>And then they fled the Yggdrasil system, their prisoners long gone and the threat of Yog-Sototh behind them, and then their ship stranded and they thought themselves dead until there was the docking of another ship and then a rescue and then they found themselves on what they later found out was called The Aurora. The Mechanisms’s vessel. With Raphaella and Ivy and <em>Marius</em> and others, all musically inclined and, apparently, very immortal.</p><p>Just like them, now. At least, that was the conclusion they drew when an argument with the ships first mate ended in a gunshot to their chest and they woke up with Marius fussing over them and a wound stitching up in rainbow thread.</p><p>And now there’s music. So much music, and it’s getting exhausted to even bring up the energy to hate it anymore.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>brian.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Lyfrassir drums restlessly on the edge of the table, an energy buzzing under their skin that they can’t seem to get rid of. It’s been this way ever since the Aurora picked them up from their stranded vessel in the aftermath of their escape. The crew has been... amicable, but they haven’t been able to properly sit down and relax for the last two weeks.</p><p>A chair scrapes backwards and they look up to find Brian join them at the table. Giving a quick, hesitant smile, they focus back on their fingers until two oblong objects are shoved against them.</p><p>“Use these.” As they look back up, there are drumsticks underneath their fingers, and Brian is smiling back at them. They pick them up, slowly, as if they were live grenades.</p><p>“I’m confused.”</p><p>“Well, if you want to make music, you might as well use the right tools.” Brian produces two more drumsticks from void knows where and starts up a rhythmic tune on the table. “Come on, join me.”</p><p>Hesitantly, they tap the sticks against the table, once, twice. When Brian doesn’t stop, they drum a few more times, trying to keep some kind of rhythm. Slowly, the tightness in their chest eases, and soon they find themselves with a relaxed smile on their face as they tap out a tune alongside the Drumbot.</p><p>“The fuck?” They slow their beat as the door opens to a dumbfounded looking Jonny. “Do I even wanna know what’s going on here?”</p><p>“Music!” Brian punctuates his statement with a hit against the edge of the table. “You can join us if you’d like.”</p><p>“Nooo, thank you.” As Jonny slowly backs off, Lyf feeling like sliding under the table, Brian turns back to them only to find the afterimage in rainbow colours still remaining at the table.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>raphaella.</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Raphaella is never hard to find. Not only is she usually a sight to behold, tall and beautiful with a new set of wings adorning her back, but she’s also usually to be found in the lab, tinkering with something or other experiment. It’s a nice place to seclude themselves to, when everything on the ship simply becomes too much. Raph isn’t quiet when she works, per se, but her monologuing about a variety of scientific principles is still a whole lot better than the rest of the ship.</p><p>They just have to make sure she doesn’t want to use them as a test subject again. They still haven’t quite forgotten the tentacle incident.</p><p>Still, it’s just nice to sit in a corner of the lab, reading something from Ivy’s stash and watching Raphaella go about her work. Occasionally her murmuring rises in pitch as her excitement grows, and they can’t help but smile in endearment.</p><p>They don’t register at first when the mumblings turn to singing. It’s only when she gets to the chorus that the words start to make sense to them.</p><p>“Mile after mile, from the stars to the place where the void sings-”</p><p>“Oh void no, not that asshat.”</p><p>“What? I think his speech was quite charming. Catchy, at least.” Raphaella makes her way towards them, her disarming smile a sharp contrast against her apron covered in rusty stains. “But fine. Any requests?”</p><p>Lyfrassir draws their bottom lip between their teeth, closing their book and putting it down besides themselves on the ground. Raph leans against a counter, thin, membrane-like wings fluttering in the slight breeze of the air-conditioning. Just when the silence starts becoming awkward, they find the courage to open their mouth. “Rose, rose, rose red, will I ever see thee wed?”</p><p>Raphaella’s eyes light up and their heart grows a few sizes. “Rose, rose, rose red…”</p><p>Song swells in the chamber, and by the end of it Lyf feels lighter than they have in a long while.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>jonny.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“Absolutely not.”</p><p>Lyf stares at the first mate in confusion. They’re only a step into the room, and Jonny’s already got his hackles up. “But-”</p><p>“Nope. I’m not taking part in this. Fuck off.”</p><p>They stare after him as he storms out of the room, eyes blinking rapidly in bemusement. “But I just wanted to ask if you knew where the Space Capri Suns were.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>ivy.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“No, no, put that down.”</p><p>“But you said I could try your flute!”</p><p>“Yes, and now I’m revoking that right. I’m sorry, Lyfrassir, but you were not made for these instruments.”</p><p>“Thanks for the sugarcoating, Ivy.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>marius.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, inspector! Finally come to me for your music classes, I take it?”</p><p>“Just shut up and teach me how to play, Von Raum.”</p><p>Marius grins and grabs his violin, putting the bow to the strings and playing a short, jaunty melody. “If you insist! But I warn you, the violin’s not an easy instrument to learn.”</p><p>“Well, we’ve got all the time in the world.” Lyf warily accepts the second violin and bow. They hold the instrument awkwardly, trying to figure out which bit goes where. “And we’ve still got about 4 months before we reach the next planet.” They jolt as a hand touches their wrist, forcing themselves to relax while Marius corrects their stance. He’s gotten himself behind them, one hand resting lightly on their midriff, like they haven’t noticed yet. The other gentle guides their hand to put the bow to the strings.</p><p>“That part to your chin. Yes, like that. And then you gently draw the bow across the strings.”</p><p>What comes out sounds more like an octokitten getting stuck in the vents and they wince.</p><p>“Well,” Marius says good-naturedly, “we’ve got all the time in the world, at least.”</p>
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